Carefully and slightly unsteadily, a trumpeter sat down on the floor on Saturday. He was part of a military orchestra group, but succumbed to the heat. While his colleagues played in the hot sun, paramedics rushed to save him.

And he’s not the only one saved. Nearly ten meters away, a soldier was carried away on a stretcher at the same time.

‘happens more often’

“More often than not the British guard fainted,” said British correspondent Anne Saenen. “Some also fell at Queen Elizabeth’s funeral and the coronation of King Charles.”

Prince William expressed his gratitude on Twitter to all the soldiers who took part in the parade during the final preparations for Trooping the Color. “Those were tough conditions,” he tweeted, referring to the high temperatures. “But you all did well.”

It’s not surprising that fainting occurs. In fact, there seems to be a real chance that soldiers will also take to the field this Saturday. Once again the temperature reached 30 degrees, while about 1500 soldiers paraded in front of the king.

Bear skin

“The guardian wears a big bearskin hat with pride,” explains Saenen. “It’s an honour. In England they are sometimes honored. They may look funny, but the British take them very seriously.”

“The saints are eager to march on Saturday,” said connoisseur of military traditions and protocol Jan Jaap van Weering. “So soldiers don’t really care about the heat. Marching is a tradition the British like to follow.”

“When the army is marching, of course it can be overcome by the heat,” he explained. “But in general they are used to it. They are all different types of warriors parading before the king. For example, they may be on a mission or have been dispatched.”

According to tradition

According to Van Weering, it was unthinkable that a soldier would help his comrade if he took to the field on Saturday. “They don’t deviate from their duty. It wouldn’t occur to them. It’s the medics who are there to help.”

“During Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, guards were still lining the streets, while the streets had long been quiet,” Saenen describes British culture. “There’s so much tradition attached to it. And especially when it comes to the royal family, they’re very traditional.”

Charles took a different approach

Despite that grit, King Charles has announced that he wants to do something different for this year’s military parade. He plans to take part in his own birthday parade on horseback.

The idea is not entirely new. His mother Elizabeth took the train in 1986 and Prince Philip did the same in 2003.